Forgiving the Hungry Tiger
by lilblondgirle
Summary: It’s the summer of their 7th year, and Hermione and Draco soon find themselves in sticky situations. Starts with Draco hurt and only Herm to help him. please, R/R CHAPTER THREE UP!
1. Trouble

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, or places. I may own a few things, but not in this chapter.  
  
A/N I was going to start this earlier in the plot, but decided to add in details as it goes along. Incase you need it, Its the summer before 7th year, and Hermione and her parents have moved. However, their new house is in the same neighborhood as the Malfoy's, who are enraged about Muggles living near them. Well, that is everyone except Draco. He has his own thoughts, which Hermione soon finds out.  
  
Title: Forgiving the Hungry Tiger  
  
Summary: It's the summer of their 7th year, and Hermione and Draco soon find themselves in uncomfortable situations. Starts out in the woods with Draco hurt and only Herm to help him. Easy place for love, except Herm has a b/f and Draco has.... well,...an obsessed stalker. Please R/R  
  
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CHAPTER ONE- Trouble  
  
Hermione looked around, taking in the sight so she wouldn't get lost. She turned back to the path, and guessed the right path would take her where she wanted. She walked slowly, afraid to stumble, but wanting to get where she was going as quick as possible. She jumped slightly when she heard an owl hoot. It wasn't that dark, but dark enough so she couldn't see that well. She gripped her sweater closer to herself, fighting the chills, which were strange for the summer. Suddenly, Hermione heard a sound. She froze on the path and listened. She heard leaves rustling to her left. She stayed as still as a statue until the noise had passed. Hermione gulped, and wondered to herself why she was here.  
  
Draco. She was here for Draco. But why? Why did she care about him, she thought to herself as she started on the path again. He had always been mean to her, so why should she do him a favor? Hermione shivered slightly as a cool breeze blew past her, howling in her ear. She spun around when she heard a twig snap behind her. Someone was following her. Hermione trembled in fear. She slowly took a few steps back, looking where the sound had come from. Suddenly, her elbow touched skin. She spun around quickly, and knocked whatever, or whoever, it was down a hill. The body rolled down, hitting all kinds of rocks and branches on the way down. Hermione winced between fear for the person, and fear of them, as she watched them fall. Quite suddenly, they stopped falling and landed with a thump on the ground below. Hermione heard a sickening crack in the still night. The person yelled out in pain, then she heard heavy breathing.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for, and who the hell are you?" A familiar voice asked, a tone mixed with anger and pain. Hermione gasped silently. Draco.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Draco, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you. You startled me." Hermione said, starting her climb down the steep hill Draco had just fallen down.  
  
Draco squinted into the darkness at the figure walking towards him. His mouth filled with spite when he saw who it was. Granger. He spit onto the ground next to him, wincing slightly at the incredible pain in his left leg. He didn't dare look at it, hearing the crunch he knew was his bone. He wanted to cry in pain, to not hold anything back. But he couldn't. Not with that Mudblood watching.  
  
Hermione reached flat ground and looked up, glancing more closely at Draco. She gasped suddenly, and tried not to throw up or cry out. Draco had apparently landed on his leg, putting too much weight on it. His knee was bent the wrong way, and his leg hung loosely on the ground. She could see pain in Draco's eyes, but not on his face.  
  
"Draco. Oh my gosh-" She managed to whisper. Draco winced a little.  
  
"Look, you filthy Mudblood, what the hell are you doing here?" He asked. Any sympathy Hermione had for him left her. She stood up straight.  
  
"Look Malfoy-" She hissed Malfoy as though it made her sick. " For your information, I over heard you talking. I came here to stop you from killing yourself." She stammered, sympathy coming back for a second. However, he vanished it quickly by laughing.  
  
"You? Try to save me?" Draco said, amusement in his voice. "Well, a lot of good that did. I would have been better off if you didn't come. I would have left everything, and made your life a little bit better. Besides, what makes you think you would have been able to stop me?" He tried to smirk, but his mouth only twitched with pain. The maternal side of Hermione took over.  
  
"Look, Draco, I want to be here as much as you do, but we can't change the past. Now look, your leg is really broken, and you are obviously in a lot of pain. I might be able to help. Do you have your wand?" She asked. A wave of confusion swept over Draco's pain stricken face.  
  
"What about your wand?" He asked. Hermione blushed slightly. Luckily, it was dark though, so Draco didn't notice.  
  
"I, er, kind of left it at home." She whispered, embarrassed. Draco snorted.  
  
"Great. I'm supposed to be taking help from someone who forgets their wand. Do me a favor and don't touch me." Draco sneered, amused even in his pain.  
  
"Shut up Draco! Look, do you have your wand or not?" Hermione asked, getting annoyed. Draco tilted his head to the side, pointing to his right.  
  
"It's in my side pocket. I can't really reach it, though." He said, regretting it. Hermione swallowed, then slowly walked closer to him. He looked up at her, then back down, closing his eyes. She knelt down and moved his robes around. She found his pocket and stuck her hand in, grabbing his wand. She pulled it out quickly. Her heart sunk into her stomach. Draco wasn't looking, but from the silence, he knew what had happened. The wand was mangled, bent in all the wrong places. He must have landed on it while he fell. Hermione was amazed to see that it hadn't snapped. It was spitting out little red sparks, and was making a small hissing noise. Hermione felt Draco sigh beside her. Hermione cleared her throat.  
  
"Well.." She said, doubting weither it would work or not. "We could always try it any way. When Ron's wand broke-" She started, but Draco cut her short.  
  
"No. It's to big or a risk. I personally don't want to take the chance that my leg might vanish or something. No, we can't use it." He said, and looked up into her eyes. Their faces weren't that far away, and looking into Draco's eyes, Hermione could see pain. She backed away and looked at his leg. She swallowed to keep herself from vomiting. She gently touched it, but he trembled in pain. She bit her bottom lip and looked at him.  
  
"Draco, I might be able to keep it steady until we can get you some better help, but it might hurt." She said, looking into his eyes. Draco swallowed and let his head roll backwards. He looked up into the sky, which was hard to see because of the trees in the way. His head was swarming, and he wanted to cry. He sighed a heavy sigh and looked back at her. She was now looking back at his leg, her face expressing concern.  
  
"What can you do?" He asked quietly, his voice barley a whisper. Hermione looked up at him in surprise. There was a eerie silence between the two for a minute, the two looking deep into each's eyes. Hermione felt pity for him. She looked back at his leg.  
  
"Well, if I can find some kind of branches or something, I could make a makeshift splint, but I would have to move your leg." She said, still looking at his leg. She glanced a look at Draco, who was grinning a sickening grin. He looked as though he was going to puke.  
  
"You know how to make a splint?" He asked. Hermione furrowed her brow as she looked at him.  
  
"Look, do you want me to or not?" She asked. Draco's half grin disappeared and he was silent. Hermione could almost feel what he was thinking. Finally, Draco spoke.  
  
"You should get the stuff you need then. Before it gets any darker." Hermione nodded and got up to get some stuff. She left Draco alone. He sat silently, gritting his teeth in pain.  
  
'Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be her?' Draco thought. Hermione, the teachers pet, annoying mudblood, friends of the famous Harry Potter and poor Ron Weasly, enemy of Draco himself, was the only one who cared weither he lived or died. Draco felt his mouth filling with blood, so he spit to the side. The red blood shimmered in the moonlight.  
  
Draco felt around his gums with his tongue, finding he had bitten it in his fall. Luckily, he hadn't bitten it off, but it was cut. Also, a few spots on his gums were bleeding. He carefully placed a hand on the back of his neck, and pulled it away to find blood resting on his fingers. He was over all pretty beat up. Draco sighed. He couldn't do anything. His arm was hurting dreadfully, and although he was sure it wasn't broken, he winced everytime it moved. Suddenly a thought popped into Draco's head. He grimaced in disgust. Hermione would have to help him. He knew she would have to cover up all the bleeding spots, or else he could possible die from loss of blood. The thought of Hermione, that Mudblood, touching his bare skin made him sick, but at the same time made him shiver.  
  
Hermione startled him by coming out from behind a bush. She didn't see him jump, and he was thankful for that. She looked up when she had unhooked her pant leg from a thorn and walked over to him. Her arms were full of stuff, and she seemed to ignore the fact that a large earwig was crawling along a piece of bark. She was within reach of him, so he stuck out his good arm and brushed away the bug, which was headed towards her arm. Hermione was so deep in thought she didn't notice. Draco sighed and leaned back. She heard his sigh.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked. Draco was surprised she heard him. He shook his head and Hermione shrugged. She knelt down again by his leg and spread her objects in a pile next to her. She sorted through them and grabbed two large slabs of bark. She placed them next to her and looked again through the pile. Draco noticed she had a shirt next to her. He guessed she had been wearing that under her sweater, but had taken it off. He knew what she was going to do with it.  
  
Hermione finished getting her supplies, and looked at Draco. He seemed unafraid, and in less pain. She felt sorry for him. She swallowed again to get the lump out of her throat and spoke.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked. He just nodded. Hermione sighed and nodded to assure herself. She looked back at his leg and gently placed her hands on it. She felt Draco move beneath her.  
  
"Ok, now I'm going to move it quickly. Just hold on." She said, but it barley came out. Draco, however, heard her. He braced himself. He closed his eyes. Hermione, carefully, but quickly moved his leg back in place. Draco felt a soaring jolt of pain sweep over him from his leg to his head. He yelled out in pain. The last thing he saw was Hermione's worried face, then everything went black. 


	2. Draco's Secret

DISCLAIMER- Once again, I don't own anything but the plot.  
  
A/N- Sorry I took so long to update. A few things came up, and I didn't get around to updating. But, I have now. I GOT REVIEWS! THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH! Some people who reviewed seemed very happy that I'm keeping the characters in character. I greatly appreciate that, and will try to keep them in character, but people do change over the years. This story does take place in the 7th year, so their personalities could be different. I'm not sure if they will still be in character later on, but you will have to keep reviewing to let me know.  
  
Ok, now that you have been waiting, here's chapter two......  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO- Draco's Secret  
  
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When Draco opened his eyes, his first instinct was to stand up and get off the damp floor. But when he tired to stand, a bolt of pain shot through his leg and he remembered where and why he was here. Draco looked down at his leg, and found Hermione had done a nice job. Unless he tried hard, his leg didn't move, and he wasn't in the mood to move it any time soon.  
  
A rustling in the bush next to him told him Hermione was coming back. Sure enough, she came out into the clearing holding something in her hand. Their eyes met for a second, then Hermione moved over to a tree across from him and sat down, legs crossed.  
  
"Oh good, you're awake. It was getting hard to wrap you up when you were out cold." She said calmly, working with something he couldn't see in the dark.  
  
"Wrap me up?" Draco asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah. You were bleeding in a bunch of different spots, although mostly on your neck. I did the best I could to cover them up." She explained, looking down at what ever it was she was doing. Draco placed his hands to the back of his neck, and sure enough, there it was. A thin strip of Hermione's shirt was wrapped around his neck. It wasn't too tight, but tight enough to keep the blood from dripping down his back. He looked at his fingers, which had also been bleeding, and found them bandaged as well. He tried moving his arm, and found it in perfect condition.  
  
"Thanks." He managed to choke out. It's not easy apologizing to your rival.  
  
"Yeah, well you might want to wait until morning to thank me." Hermione answered, getting up from her seat on some dead moss. She walked over to Draco's left side and plunked down again. Draco saw what she was working in was in a paper cup. What ever it was, it smelt really bad.  
  
"What is that?" He asked, wrinkling his nose.  
  
"Chantileum" Hermione said pulling out a stick from the cup. The stick was covered in some clear, sticky kind of paste.  
  
"And, what the hell exactly is that Chantili-whatever crap?" Hermione sighed in annoyance.  
  
"It's a plant I read about once. It looks like a violet, but has a more reddish tone. It has amazing healing powers." She answered, sticking her thumb into the cup and pulling it back out, covered in the goop. She moved it over to Draco face, but hesitated for a second, leaving her hand over his forehead. The fumes from the plant were intoxicating.  
  
"This might sting a bit." She warned him, and then carefully rubbed her thumb over a gash on his forehead. It stung ALOT. Draco sucked in air to keep himself from screaming at her in rage. Hermione paused to see his reaction, then continued, spreading it evenly over the cut.  
  
"So, where did you get the cup?" Draco asked, trying to get his mind away from the stinging and the smell. Hermione stuck her thumb back into the goop before answering.  
  
"I found it. There's a small stream a little ways from here, and some people must have had a picnic there. They left a lot of food though." She said, applying the stuff to another cut on his cheek. Draco looked around and found a picnic basket near another bush.  
  
'Well, at least we have food and water.' Draco thought to himself. "How long have I been out?" He asked her.  
  
"Not long. About a half hour." She answered. "Turn your head."  
  
Draco turned to face her so she could work on the right side of his face. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Her face was deep in concentration, not an uncommon look for her. Draco looked away.  
  
"So, what does this stuff do any way?"  
  
"Well, if I mixed it right, it should close up these cuts over night. I don't think it will leave any scars, but the spots will be red for a few days. Also, if you are allergic to it, where ever I put it will swell up for five months, no more, no less." Hermione answered, and finished covering his cuts.  
  
"Oh great. So now I have to fret about being allergic to some flower I can't even pronounce." Draco said, bitterly.  
  
"Yeah, but look on the bright side. At least you wont have any scars. We wouldn't want to mare that BEAUTIFUL face of yours, now would we?" Hermione said sarcastilly. Draco laughed.  
  
"Got that right." He said, smiling. Hermione looked into his face and smiled as well.  
  
'He actually is kind of cute when he smiles.' She thought to herself. They stayed like that for a second, then realized what they were actually doing. They both looked away at the same time, their smiles gone. Hermione was going to get up when she noticed something. She sat back down and flattened Draco's shirt, unaware of the gesture. Her eyes widened when she saw large bloodstains all over his shirt, which was torn in various places.  
  
Draco looked down at her to see what she was doing, and noticed them also. He saw that she was surprised and horrified. As he looked at them, he suddenly realized what she was going to do. Sure enough, when Hermione looked at him, her expression said enough.  
  
"No!" Draco said angrily. Hermione narrowed her eyes. " No. It's bad enough you touched me and did Who-knows-what to me while I was knocked out, but you are NOT taking off my shirt and rubbing that shit on me. Especially not you." He spat, close to yelling. Hermione breathed in through her nose, her eyes closed.  
  
"You sick pervert. You actually think I did anything besides help you? Why would I want to do that? And do you think I actually want to be here helping you, of all people? No. So, we are in the same position here. No, you have no choice but to cooperate. Besides, its not like there's anything there I haven't seen before. Certainly nothing special or worth bragging about." Hermione said with the same amount of spite as Draco. He snorted.  
  
"You'd be surprised." He muttered. Hermione gave a cold laugh.  
  
"Oh please. Now, as much as I hate to say this, and now I will live to regret it, take off your shirt." Hermione said hotly. Draco refused, and the two began a stare down. Sparks flew from each other's eyes. Normally, Draco would have continued to not give, but there was something different about Hermione now that confused him. Something he had not seen from her since their fourth year. Pure hatred. Surprised, he gave in. He sat up and pulled off his shirt, then leaned back against the tree. Its bark was scratchy, so he turned around and placed his shirt behind his back. When he looked back to Hermione, her eyes were wide again, her mouth slightly open. His mouth flickered into a grin.  
  
When Draco took off his shirt, a few things caught Hermione's attention. One was that he had obviously been working out. Two, was that his bare chest was covered with scars defiantly NOT cause by his fall. Her mouth opened in shock and horror. When she looked into Draco's face, he was grinning, and she saw something twinkle in her eyes that she had not seen before.  
  
"I told you you would be surprised." He whispered. His voice had a tone of humor, but Hermione interrupted the thing in his eyes to be pure sorrow. All hate for him left her as she looked back from him to his chest. The scars stood out against the blood and his sickly white skin.  
  
"Oh my gosh. Draco, I-" Hermione said softly. She didn't know what to say, but Draco understood.  
  
It's not me. I could never do that to myself. It's my father." He said, his voice choking. Hermione gently traced a long scar with her fingertip. Her touch tingled on Draco's skin, and it seemed to give him courage, made him trust Hermione. He swallowed and continued talking, needing to get this off his chest. (A/N- that sounds weird. no pun intended)  
  
"He's been beating me for as long as I can remember. Any time I played with someone he didn't introduce me to, any time I was actually nice to a stranger, or worse, a muggle-no offense-, he would beat me. He told me I was spoiling the family name, and that him beating me was the right thing to do, that I would learn this way. Of course, I didn't understand when I was little, so I agreed. But then I got older, and I understood that it was wrong. Still, I played along. I managed to stay on his good side, until school started. Somehow, he found out about everything that happened at school. That's when he started using objects. A rope, his belt, bat, fork, potato peeler, anything that would leave a mark." Draco said sorrowfully. He thought he was boring Hermione, but he wasn't She was sitting there, listening to his every word, her eyes full of sorrow and pity. Her warm hand was still on his chest. Draco cleared his throat.  
  
"After the fourth year, everything changed. Before, I at least had some reason why he was doing all that. But then, and even now, I have no idea. He just comes home and slaps me, or does something else. That's why I stopped going home for Christmas. No one noticed though. Not even Dumbledore. My mother knows, of course, but she's too scared of my father to do anything. Why do you think she always looks the way she does? Finally, I cracked. Four days ago, I fought back, and he sliced me pretty bad with the kitchen knife. That's when I decided I couldn't live any more, and well, here we are." Draco concluded. "My life in a nut shell." He added, chuckling even in the moment.  
  
Hermione's eyes were close to watering.  
  
"Where did he cut you?" She asked, searching over his naked chest. Draco squinted, trying to remember.  
  
"It's all a blur, but he lunged at me with his left, so it might be on my-" But Hermione has already bounded over him and was now hunched on his right side. Sure enough, on his right side was a large gash that ran most of the length his torso. It was still pink, and parts of it had opened up in his fall. Hermione put one hand over her mouth. With the other, she carefully touched the skin near it. Draco flinched, and she withdrew her hand.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Draco. I'm so sorry." She whispered, her voice barely audible. Draco shook his blonde head.  
  
"Don't be. Why should you be? It's not your fault." He said, his voice back to normal.  
  
Hermione looked him in the eyes. "For not noticing." Her voice was still very low.  
  
"Don't worry. If you didn't notice, that means other people didn't either. I guess I did a good job hiding it. A good mask.  
  
*pause*  
  
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Draco shrugged.  
  
"Who would have believed me? My word against his. Not good odds. He has a strong position in the Ministry. A lot of people are terrified of him."  
  
"Dumbledore would have believed you." Hermione said flatly.  
  
"One out of hundreds. Who else would believe me? Draco Malfoy, troublemaker, son of a possible Death Eater, enemy of the famous Harry Potter? Would you have believed me if you hadn't seen these?" Draco asked, referring to his scars. Hermione paused, not wanting to admit her answer.  
  
"Couldn't you show them your scars?" She asked, trying to change the subject. "They would have to believe you then." Draco shook his head.  
  
"He would just say I did it to myself. No matter what I do, he will win." Draco admitted. Hermione was silent, not knowing what to say. She looked back at his cut. She carefully rubbed her finger along the skin just above it. Draco flinched again, but this time she didn't pull away right away. She kept her fingers there, her skin just barely touching his.  
  
"Does it hurt?" She asked. Draco nodded, and she removed her fingers.  
  
"No, you're not hurting it. It just hurts in general. I can't really see it. Is it still bleeding?" He asked. Hermione looked at one spot where it had opened up. She hesitant to touch it, but carefully tapped it. The blood was dry.  
  
"No, it's stopped. So have all the other ones." She said. Draco nodded.  
  
"Alright. Can you put that stuff on them?" He asked. Hermione looked into his eyes. He knew it would hurt, but he didn't care. Hermione looked back down at his chest.  
  
"Not like this. They need to be cleaned or else the flower won't be able to heal them." She told him, not daring to look him in the eyes.  
  
"Ok. Do you need to use my shirt?" He asked. Hermione shook her head.  
  
"No it's ok. I'll use mine." She said standing up. She bent down and picked up the shredded pile of rags that used to be her shirt, and quickly walked back into the bushes.  
  
º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø, º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,  
  
Draco woke when a cool breeze blew across him. He blinked a few times and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. An owl hooted and swooped past him, causing him to shiver. His shirt was still off.  
  
Unable to go back to sleep, Draco shifted. He looked around where he was and found Hermione asleep some feet away from him. Now that everything was over, he had a chance to look at her clearly. She really had changed over the past seven years. Her hair wasn't bushy anymore, as it had straightened out on it's own. Now it was just thick, and it reached below her shoulders. Her teeth were still straight from when she fixed them in their fourth year, and her body had also changed. (everyone knows how, so no need to write it.) Over all, she wasn't the buck-toothed snob she was in their first year. Sure, she was still head of their class, and Draco was certain she had become Head Girl, but in a word she was, beautiful.  
  
Like all girls at Hogwarts, Hermione had really started to notice guys when she was around the age of 13, but they never noticed her till she was 14. Hermione however, unlike some girls her age, never went for looks. You could be the ugliest guy in the world, but if you could keep a good conversation with her and not once mention the way she looked to get with her, Hermione would be all over you. She was the kind of girl who needed commitment, but didn't want a boyfriend who only liked her for her looks. Not many guys were able to do this, but one did, and he now was her current boyfriend, and they seemed pretty steady.  
  
It was because of all this that Draco was feeling uncomfortable. He usually flirted with girls regardless of their status, but Hermione was different. He was actually afraid to flirt with her, intimated by her. Beauty and Brains, the perfect combination, but it were these two things that kept Draco away. Being thing close to her was overwhelming.  
  
Draco turned away from her, thinking of something else. He wondered how they were going to get out of here. He certainly wouldn't be doing any walking, and they didn't have a wand so Hermione couldn't levitate him. He was certain she wouldn't be able to carry him. Of course, once they did get out, they also had the trouble of were to go.  
  
Draco's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a twig snap behind him. He didn't panic, but he did freeze. He knew who it was that was there. He had been expecting them. After a few endless minutes, he sensed breathing, indicating the person was now between him and Hermione, hidden in the bushes. Draco took a deep breath, his mask back on.  
  
"You shouldn't be here." He called into the dark, not moving an inch.  
  
"I could kill her now." A cold voice hissed. A threat. Draco smirked.  
  
"Go ahead. I don't care about that Mudblood." He lied. "However, once you kill here, I will be your responsibility. And we both know you can't even keep a cactus alive." There was a silence for another few minutes, then a slight movement in the bush. Draco knew the person had left. Still, he decided to keep watch, to keep Hermione safe.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I forgot to mention a few things, so I will here.  
  
1. Pigwigchick mentioned Draco and Hermione instantly falling for each other. I just want you to know, that they will not fall automatically in this story, it will be gradual. Draco notices the most feelings first really. Just thought I tell you that, incase you were expecting any mushy stuff soon. If that's what you want, this isn't the right story. 2. I'm not good at thinking of Chapter names, so many chapters won't be titled. After I post, if you have a suggestion for a title, you can e-mail it to me at blondbabygoddess@yahoo.com. 3. How do you make Italics and Bold letters? 4. PLEASE REVIEW! I will update soon, but if you review to tell me what you think it will be so much better. Even if you absolutely hated this chapter, or even both, please still review. As long as you tell me why or what you hated about it, I'm fine with that. So please, Review! 


	3. Forgotten

Disclaimer: I own the plot, no characters.  
  
A/N: So sorry this took so long to put up. Everythings been busy, and I had no time to type it up. But, I have it now. Hope you like.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THREE- Forgotten  
  
Hermione awoke when a bird chirped in the treetops above her. She sat up and yawned, laughing silently when a bird dropping landed with a splat where her head had been. She got up and stretched, then looked around. Draco was asleep, leaning against the tree, his shirt still off. Hermione carefully walked over to him. She checked his cuts, but there were none. She smiled proudly as she realized she had applied it right.  
  
As she stepped back, her foot pressed down on something soft. She bent down and picked up Draco's shirt. It was still bloodstained and torn. She looked around for Draco's wand and found it sticking out of a snake hole. She pulled it out and examined it. Then, she laid the shirt out on the ground and knelt down. She fingered the wand, then pointed it at the shirt.  
  
"Repairo." she muttered, and sparks flew out of the mangled wand. The shirt sizzled for a second, then stopped. Hermione smiled. The shirt was now whole. Of course, it now had pink and white horizontally stripes on it, but at least it was whole. She looked at her own shirt and wondered if it would work. Today was supposed to be hot, and Hermione only had a sweater.  
  
Hermione shrugged and picked up the shirt. She walked along the path towards the stream. When she got there, she took the shirt and stuck it in the cold water. She rubbed at the stains, trying her best to get them out. Why she was doing this, she didn't know, but it gave her something to do.  
  
Under different circumstances, Hermione would have felt as uncomfortable as Draco. However, her mind was only set on taking care of Draco. Besides, she was still faithful towards her boyfriend. Thinking of him made her smile. They had gotten together last year around Christmas. She hadn't seen him all summer, and she was starting to miss him terribly.  
  
When Draco woke up, the first thing that crossed his mind was 'Where's Hermione?' He looked around and saw the bushes near the stream shake, and he relaxed a little. Not thinking, Draco stood up and stretched. Then, he remembered. Shocked, he looked down at his leg. Sure enough, the splint was still there, but he could stand on it. It only hurt as though he had twisted it, not like it had broken. He sat back down, the small pain getting to him.  
  
Hermione startled him by coming back into the clearing, wringing some wet, pink cloth.  
  
"Morning." Hermione said cheerfully. Draco just nodded.  
  
"What's that?" He mentioned with his head towards the cloth she had. Hermione unraveled it and held it out. It was a pink and white striped cloth.  
  
"Your shirt!" She said happily. Draco raised an eyebrow.  
  
"My shirt?" Hermione nodded. "But, it's whole and,..... pink." Draco said.  
  
"Yeah, about that. See, I tried to fix it, and managed to, but your wand's messed up." Was all Hermione said.  
  
"Oh, I see." Draco replied, but it took him a couple of seconds to actually understand. "Did you by any chance put any of that stuff on my leg?" He asked her.  
  
"No. Why?" Hermione answered. Draco was now confused.  
  
"Because I don't think it's broken any more." Hermione looked at him suspiciously.  
  
"How can that be?" She asked. Draco shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. I just woke up and forgot it was broken. So, I stood up and found it only hurt like I twisted it or something." Draco explained. Hermione knelt by his leg and examined it. Sure enough, the bone had been healed. Hermione was the most surprised.  
  
"I don't understand..." She muttered. Draco frowned.  
  
"I think I do." He mumbled. Draco thought of their visitor. They had probably fixed it, trying to get him to spend as little time with Hermione as possible. Well, he wasn't about to let them win that easily. Not when he could still play in this game. Hermione paused, then looked up at him.  
  
"What was that?" She asked. She hadn't heard him. Draco smiled and shook his head. Hermione shrugged, looked back at his leg, then let out a deep sigh.  
  
"Well, I have absolutely no idea how this happened, but it did. Well-" She added, standing up. "I guess this means you will be able to walk. Which is good too, because we have a little ways to go. About another day, at least. It would be faster up the hill, but I don't want to chance it." Draco looked up the hill he had fallen down that night. In the daylight, it was even more ugly. It's true steepness was shown, and the ground wasn't the prettiest either.  
  
"So, when should we start?" Draco asked, using the tree to stand. His butt was numb from sitting so long. He tried to rest his leg, but the splint kept him from bending his knee. Hermione noticed this also.  
  
"We should be leaving soon. You can just take that off, but save the parts of my shirt." She told him, much to his suspicion. He gratefully untied the pieces of bark and stretched his legs, sticking the shit strips in his pocket.  
  
"I just don't get it...." Hermione muttered, completely shocked with Draco's recovery. "It's medically impossible...." Draco just shrugged, trying to act as confused as she was. He hoped Hermione would be too shocked to discover the truth. He should have known though. Hermione wasn't prefix for nothing. She thought it over many times, and quickly came up with two theories. The only way a broken one could be healed that fast was by magic. So, one theory was that Draco was just playing a trick on her, and everything was just a clever hoax. Or, they had someone following them who had healed Draco. Either way, Hermione knew she had to me careful.  
  
"Maybe we'll never know what happened." She said. She knew, of course, that Draco knew what had happened, but she decided to play him just like he was playing her. "Right, so I guess we should just eat and forget about it." Draco nodded.  
  
'What's wrong with you Draco?' Hermione thought. 'Why are you all the sudden so terrible at lying?' She wondered as she walked towards the basket she found last night. As she picked it up, she saw out of the corner of her eye Draco looking at the ground under a bush. She turned around and gave him a suspicious look, but shrugged it away.  
  
"Never mind. I don't even want to know. Here. I'm not sure what is good, but this is all the food I found." Draco took the basket and looked inside. Something clicked in his mind, and he looked up at Hermione eagerly.  
  
"Where did you find this?" He asked. Hermione frowned.  
  
"I told you. Near the stream."  
  
"Sow me." Draco demanded. Hermione raised an eyebrow in annoyance, then led him to the path she had taken so many times.  
  
It took them longer then usual to reach the site because Draco was limping along, his leg still bothering him. When they reached the spot, Hermione stepped to the side so Draco could see it clearly.  
  
It was a nice little spot. There was a stream in front of them, and on the other bank was a path of grass wide enough for a small car. Since there were no trees in this spot, a large ray of sunlight came down and warmed the grass. A lizard scampered away when they came.  
  
It all came back to him suddenly. He looked into the basket again, and remembered.  
  
"This-" He said, pointing to some sort of fruit salad. "This is good. It's my mom's special recipe. No matter how old it is, it will always be good to eat." Draco said matter-of-factly.  
  
"What are you saying?" Hermione asked, a little confused.  
  
"The other food should be okay as well. I mean, it's only been a day." He said, ignoring her. When he looked up into her face, he had to smile.  
  
"Yes, I had the picnic here. I also know the shortest way out of here." He said. Joy spread over Hermione's face. He suddenly wished it didn't. It made him feel terrible. 'I must have been a real jerk' He thought to himself. He couldn't recall really specific things he had done, but he had a feeling Hermione remembered everything, done to every little jeer.  
  
"However, it may still take some time. I mean, I can't really walk that fast." He said, refereeing to his leg. Hermione nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I understand. But any other way out of here is better than the longest one. My parents will get extremely worried if I'm not back soon. I'll go get the stuff so we can eat here." She said and dashed back to the clearing. Draco trudged through the ankle high water to the other side. Sitting down, he thought about what Hermione had said.  
  
Hermione came almost skipping out of the bushes carrying his shirt and wand, as well as the remains of her shirt. She leaped across the stream. Her foot slipped a bit and she laughed as she fell into the water. She dragged herself out of the water, her whole backside drenched. She lay down in the sun on her stomach to dry herself. They divided the remaining food and began to eat with their hands, saving a good amount for later.  
  
As they sat there eating, Draco once again thought about what she had said. For some reason, this was really bothering him. Without warning, he told her what he was thinking.  
  
"It must be nice" He blurted out, much to his and Hermione's surprise.  
  
"What must be nice?" Hermione asked.  
  
"To have parents who care." Draco continued, not knowing what he was doing. He decided to stop there. For a moment, there was an awkward silence between the two.  
  
"What's it like living......the way you do?" Hermione asked.  
  
"It's hard. You can't turn to your parents for help, and I don't really have any friends." Draco answered automatically.  
  
"What about Crabbe and Goyle?" Hermione asked. Draco snorted.  
  
"Please. Those two couldn't even spell friend, let alone try and be one. I could never trust them the way a friend is supposed to be trusted." He said, not knowing why. Why was he telling her this? After that, they were both silent, not sure what to say.  
  
When they finished eating, Hermione hastily put the food away. Why was she feeling this way, as though she was forgetting something? She hadn't had this feeling for a while now, and it was really bugging her. When they finished packing, she darted back to the clearing to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. When she returned empty handed, Draco as waiting, leaning against a tree. He looked up when she crossed the stream .  
  
"All set?" He asked her. Hermione nodded.  
  
"Yeah. I don't know what's wrong with me."  
  
"Well, I'm sure its nothing. Should we get going?" Draco asked. Hermione sighed.  
  
"Of course. Let's go so we can get out quicker." She replied. Draco turned and led her on a path to the right, limping along. Hermione followed, but paused for a minute. She looked back into the trees briefly, then walked on.  
  
Back in the clearing, lying hidden in a pile of leaves, was Hermione's missing object. It wasn't an important item, only a pen. However, it was a special pen, given to her by Harry and Ron for her birthday. It came in a stationary kit, every piece with her name, Hermione Granger, printed on it.  
  
As this pen lay there in the leaves, a chipmunk came along. It searched the leaves for something, revealing the pen. It scampered away quickly as a hand came down and picked up the pen. The hand brought the pen closer to a face, cold eyes reading the name. A sinister grin formed out of their mouth and the hand moved the pen into a pocket. Making no sound at all, the mysterious person left, following Draco and Hermione. 


End file.
